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help! please can someone explain to me in the simplest way how to do a nitrogen cycle, tell me if this is wrong?
ive filled up my 65 litre tank with normal tapwater and have got my heater at 26 degrees and i have my iternal filter on.
i have added tap safe in the right ammount and i have added some bactuur by colombo what do i do now??

You "do" the nitrogen cycle by adding pure ammonia (the bottle should shake like there's water in it - no foaming) to the tank up to a reading of 1ppm and wait until bacteria grow that "eat it" down to a reading of 0 - there's more to do but in this section, there is an article in red letters (know as a "sticky") that will tell you how to cycle your tank with no fish - that's the best way.

To speed things up, if you have access to used media (the stuff in your filter) from someone else's established filter (a tank that's been running for a while with fish in it), you can add it to your filter to "seed" your filter with bacteria that's already grown. Making sure you have good water movement (like using an airstone) is also helpful.

Eventually, using a liquid test kit (a good test kit is necessary to cycle your tank), you will get reading of 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrites & 20ppm or less nitrates - that is the end of the nitrogen cycle.

There is a link to the fishless cycling thread below in my sig. It is the list of instructions that Andreahp mentioned above

If you take your time to do the research FIRST, you can successfully set-up and keep ANY type of aquarium with ease."Not using a quarantine tank is like playing Russian roulette. Nobody wins the game, some people just get to play longer than others." - Anthony CalfoFishless CycleCycling with FishMarine Aquarium Info [URL="http://saltwater.aquaticcommunity.com/"]

Exactly as andreahp posted and do read the sticy on cycling. If you have an Ace hardware store near you, they sell Austin's brand ammonia which is the pure stuff. That works. Don't use ammonia that has scents and other componds in it.

Knowledge is fun(damental)

A 75 gal with eight Discus, fake plants, and a lot of wood also with sand substrate. Clean up crew is down to just two Sterba's Corys. Filters: continuous new water flow; canister w/UV, in-tank algae scrubber!! Finally, junked the nitrate removal unit from hell.

You "do" the nitrogen cycle by adding pure ammonia (the bottle should shake like there's water in it - no foaming) to the tank up to a reading of 1ppm and wait until bacteria grow that "eat it" down to a reading of 0 - there's more to do but in this section, there is an article in red letters (know as a "sticky") that will tell you how to cycle your tank with no fish - that's the best way.

To speed things up, if you have access to used media (the stuff in your filter) from someone else's established filter (a tank that's been running for a while with fish in it), you can add it to your filter to "seed" your filter with bacteria that's already grown. Making sure you have good water movement (like using an airstone) is also helpful.

Eventually, using a liquid test kit (a good test kit is necessary to cycle your tank), you will get reading of 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrites & 20ppm or less nitrates - that is the end of the nitrogen cycle.

i have dropped 3 little mussles from my trader into my tank when will they start to produce ammonia and how do i get the ammonia eating bacteria in to the tank?

Are these mussles alive? If so, they will produce too little.

If dead, they will produce a varying amount of ammonia - little for a few days then a massive amount as they fully rot.

Adding chemical ammonia is far easier unless you can't buy any in your area. If so, you will have to just wait and measure.

Don't have any sand or other items in the tank with decaying mussles - cleaning this stuf would be a problem. Use a bare tank and just the filter(s) to be cycled.

The smell will not be nice. The water temp can be raised to the low 80's to hurry the process. Wash your hands well after they touch the water if mussles are rotting - you will get a lot of very unnice bacteria.

After the filter cycles (first ammonia reading rises and then falls to zero; then nitrite rises and also falls to zero - this takes between four to seven weeks), you must then clean the tank out but do not remove the filter media - you can rinse that in clean water (that has been treated to remove chlorine or chlormates). Refill all with treated water, and then add a few fish (not to many or the filter will not handle the load and the ammonia/nitrites will spike.) Every few weeks, add more fish until you have the tank you want (don't add above tank limit.) Good luck and continue to ask questions as you need.

Last edited by Cermet; 04-22-2012 at 04:28 PM.

Knowledge is fun(damental)

A 75 gal with eight Discus, fake plants, and a lot of wood also with sand substrate. Clean up crew is down to just two Sterba's Corys. Filters: continuous new water flow; canister w/UV, in-tank algae scrubber!! Finally, junked the nitrate removal unit from hell.

i have dropped 3 little mussles from my trader into my tank when will they start to produce ammonia and how do i get the ammonia eating bacteria in to the tank?

As others have explained - you need to put in actual ammonia - do not put things to rot in your tank or think those 3 small things will produce enough ammonia - the ammonia eating bacteria will grow by themselves in your filter media as long as you have a STEADY supply of ammonia (no ammonia, no bacteria) - hence, buying ammonia, read cycling instructions and keep adding ammonia as directed until all the bacteria have grown - you won't know this has happened unless you test your parameters.

i understand but...

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i have added these mussles, they are dead so will give out ammonia yh?, but not enougth, i tryed getting some pure ammonia from my local traders today and they said they dont have it they simply said to me get it from a chemist?